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The Guardian reports on a new study which has found that
The world of speculative fiction publishing is plagued by "structural, institutional, personal, universal" racism, according to a new report that found less than 2% of more than 2,000 SF stories published last year were by black writers.
The report, published by the magazine Fireside Fiction, states that just 38 of the 2,039 stories published in 63 magazines in 2015 were by black writers. With the bulk of the industry based in the US, more than half of all speculative fiction publications the report considered did not publish a single original story by a black author. "The probability that it is random chance that only 1.96% of published writers are black in a country where 13.2% of the population is black is 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000321%," says the report.
The editor of Fireside Fiction goes on to say...
"Fiction, we have a problem. We all know this. We do. We don't need numbers to see that, like everywhere in our society, marginalisation of black people is still a huge problem in publishing ... The entire system is built to benefit whiteness – and to ignore that is to bury your head in the flaming garbage heap of history."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Francis on Friday August 12 2016, @10:52PM
Arguing with the SJW types just gives them credibility. It's kind of like arguing with the climate change deniers or anti-vaxxers, they haven't got a leg to stand on to begin with, so why give them validation by arguing like they have a valid point?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by n1 on Friday August 12 2016, @11:53PM
If they don't have a valid point, explain why. Take the high ground, let your side of the discussion stand in internet history as a reasoned one. Why dive in looking to argue and be confrontational? Discuss and share your perspective to the people who are new to the debate and/or have not formed an opinion on the story or issue yet.
Calling people stupid does nothing to stop them being stupid.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @12:16AM
A trillion flies in the country and none got an original story published? Must be a conspiration! Or as absurd as TFA argument may be none submitted any.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Francis on Saturday August 13 2016, @01:02AM
I take it you're not familiar with the "Gish Gallop." You can argue with those people, but you'll get nowhere and they'll just come up with more insane reasons why they're right.
Calling them stupid doesn't prevent them from being stupid, but calling them out for is more realistic than spending large amounts of time addressing the same tired talking points. And let's be honest, people who believe in things like "rape culture" and the police hunting blacks are too stupid to be reasoned with. The reality is far more nuanced than what those folks are capable of comprehending no matter how small you make the words and how patient you are.
But, really, calling them SJWs is more a matter of labeling for other people so they don't have to get sucked in than a serious attempt at changing their opinions.
The big problem is that since most of them aren't actually trolls, it's not as simple as just ignoring them. They'll keep saying the same nonsense until they get their way because they aren't doing it to piss people off.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @09:04AM
Except the "SJW" label is applied to anyone who disagrees with an irrational and delusional person, so it is useful in identifying somebody you can't debate with because they didn't reach their position rationally, its just that its the person saying "SJW" rather than the person being called that that is the one you shouldn't waste time with.
(Score: 1) by Francis on Saturday August 13 2016, @05:59PM
I see what you did there.
No, generally speaking that's not how the SJW label is used. Perhaps if you've drunk the SJW flavor-aid that might be how it appears. But, most of the time when I've seen it used it's very clear which party has a point and it's rarely, if ever the SJWs. Mostly because they're pushing to kill any debate and bullying people that disagree into submission.
From a more objective point of view, the SJWs are extremely harmful and the sooner we can end the scourge the sooner we can get on to dealing with actual real problems.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @06:09PM
I see what you did there.
Um, obviously you did not. You are Francis.
No, generally speaking that's not how the SJW label is used
Actually, generally speaking, it is. And specifically, you are, and I will not discuss it with you any more, you SJW-Thrower, you!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @07:53PM
This why arguing with SJWs is a waste of time. They're too ignorant to realize when they've been beat.
OTOH, khallow is retarded.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @07:24PM
See? Perfect example. I disagreed with you and you immediately called me an SJW. QED.
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @07:50PM
Reread your own post. You got called out with good cause.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @05:13AM
Except, there is no arguing with these kinds of people.
They call you a bigot if you go against the LGBT status quo, even if you're a homosexual.
They call you a misogynist if you dare say a videogame's plot being changed to accommodate female characters and genders (even though the agreed-upon lore told of agendered/funghi-type critters).
They talk about affirmative action in IT but how about affirmative action in maid services?
They condone doxing for 'problematic' people, yet certain protected individuals that the status quo likes are subject to supernorma-protection.
They go as far as to publicly laugh on TV at a guy's penis being cut off and thrown in a garbage disposal, yet if a bunch of guys did that? The show would be immediately canceled.
SJWs can't fathom that they're hypocritical mysandrists. That men are discriminated against and raped just like women are.
They have a twisted world-view that is supported by very loud echo-chambers like Tumblr and similar 'safe-spaces' with chodes of conduct.
To have a discussion with the more extremists ones (which are DRAWN to any discussion) requires you to yell 'ad hominem' louder than they yell at you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 13 2016, @09:42AM
Take just any self-publishing site. There are lots: http://www.smashwords.com/ [smashwords.com] ; http://fictionpress.com [fictionpress.com] ; http://fanfiction.net [fanfiction.net] ; http://archiveofourown.org [archiveofourown.org] ; etc. etc. etc. Gather statistics there; compare to same at wherever you want (magazines, in this case).
If this is NOT done - the "study" is stupidity at best, fraud at worst.